Darth and Che as Creamy Treats

Stoyn focused primarily on characters for their first batch of designs, but a spray paint can and cult graffiti icon snuck in. A bubble-gum flavored Banksy will have to wait until series three.

Even Chewbacca and Darth Vader can settle their differences over ice cream.

Characters from the horror movies of '80s are the next characters to get the blast chill treatment.

"We're experimenting with interactivity. The Pinhead ice pop could be pinned with 'nail-candy,'" says Mamikonova.

These designs got the cold shoulder -- too difficult to manufacture and didn't fit into the theme.

Giant ice-pop sticks decorated the pop-up shop Stoyn had at Art|Basel in Miami.

Satisfied customers

They may have been on opposite sides of the Cold War, but these icons delight beachgoers in equal measure.

Most ice cream will freeze your brain, but these ice pops aim to transform dessert into intellectual discourse. Stoyn, a Russian design and branding firm based outside of Moscow, designed and manufactured thousands of these pop-art popsicles to spur a conversation about the relationship between culture, art, and commerce.

Stoyn was founded in 2011 by Sergei Starostin and Victoria Mamikonova. In addition to client work, this dynamic duo is also passionate about what they call “ambient marketing.” They explain this concept on their website: “We believe that ambient is not just a marketing instrument. Ambient is an art of creating an atmosphere at the junction of advertizing[sic], culture, science and lifestyle. We assert that the idea of the brand can be performed in every kind of shape – is it music, or urban landscape, or food.”

Mickey Mouse ice cream has been available at Disney World for decades, but we’ll wager this is the first time beachgoers could enjoy a chilly Che Guevera. We interviewed Victoria Mamikonova to learn more about the project.

Wired: What was the inspiration for the project?

Victoria Mamikonova: It all started when we suggested ice cream in the shapes of pop icons to a client as a marketing concept. The company did not fulfill their contractual obligations, but we decided not to bury such an experimental project. We took it for ourselves as a promotional project for our firm. The main inspiration for us is in experimenting.

Wired: How did you select the subjects for the ice cream bars?

Mamikonova: The main idea and slogan is “Personalities make history” so we picked out heroes that were important to different generations from the 1960s to 1990s.

We took Soviet/Russian avant garde poet and constructivist/designer Vladimir Mayakovsky as we personally admire his talent. He was one of the first Soviet advertisers and paired with the artist Rodchenko to promote his work.

There are posters where a controversial couple – Monroe and Che Guevara – are kissing, showing that love is above capitalism and communism, for example.

Wired: How were the popsicles designed? Did you start with hand-drawn sketches, then proceed to 3-D CAD models, then to physical sculpting?

Mamikonova: Yes, we went through this way you described. We consulted a lot with a sculptor, but we started by imagining what we wanted the ice pops to be then thought about how to produce them.

Wired: What were the most difficult challenges of designing for production in ice cream? Marilyn’s eyelashes seem like they would be a challenge!

Mamikonova: We had difficulties with a gun and a camera design. The gun was easily broken as the ice cream begаn melting and the camera couldn’t be pulled out of the molds easily so our manufacturing partner asked us to get rid of them. Overall 99 percent of the designs came through; we did not lose the purpose of our work — detailed, hyperreal sculptures with recognizable features and anatomy.

Marilyn’s eyelashes surprisingly went perfect…. The ice-cream makers’ team was not sure from the start that they would work, but we insisted. Sometimes you should challenge the professionals if you feel strongly about the design.

Wired: Was this purely an art project or are there plans to bring these to market?

Mamikonova: First, it was for self-promo for our newly created studio, as pop-art project. Now we think that this product would be appropriate for special events and for some conceptual cafes/stores, but probably not the mass market. We are not interested in it only as a consumer product. We believe that the key idea of this project is not only sales, but really to surprise people and make them happy.

Wired: Did you face any challenges shipping these pops from Russia to the United States?

Mamikonova: It was our first experience delivering perishable products internationally. Customs’ bureaucracy and their costs were really a pain in the neck. We had to explain that we weren’t exporting, simply bringing ice cream sculptures to an exhibition. We used special containers and dry ice for international shipping which kept the ice cream safe and cold for up to 3 to 4 days.

Wired: What was the most interesting response from the customers?

Mamikonova: People show such strong emotions – shouting, laughing, showing off tattoos. In Miami we met a singer who has a giant Marylin Monroe tatoo on his stomach. Each image, even without ice cream, has a history so no one is left untouched.

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